Russian forces have damaged several ancient mounds on the front line in southern Ukraine. In doing so, they potentially violated the Hague and Geneva Conventions, according to a study by the Ukrainian Conflict Observatory published on September 4, the Kyiv Independent reported.
There are many ancient graves known as kurgans or mohils in Ukraine. The mounds are up to 20 meters high and date back to 3000 BC. They contain archaeological treasures related to prehistoric life in Ukraine, including the Scythian era.
The observatory analyzed open geospatial data to determine that the two sites in the Vasilovsky district of Zaporozhye region were damaged during their occupation by the Russian armed forces.
“The damage included the construction of military infrastructure at the archaeological sites and the creation of a large phallus-shaped geoglyph in an adjacent field. The use of the sites for military purposes puts the cultural heritage at risk of further damage caused by the conflict," the report said.
The damage, separate from the construction of military facilities, "may mean the looting or destruction of the mound-related artifacts and ancient remains."
As cultural heritage is protected under international law, damage to the sites and potential looting may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law under the Hague and Geneva Conventions.
Limitations in conducting research through open-source intelligence mean that "the true number of archaeological sites affected by Russian fortification construction is likely to be much higher than documented in this report," the observatory said.
Russia's war against Ukraine has had a severe impact on Ukrainian cultural heritage, destroying around 2,000 cultural sites and leaving 1.5 million museum artifacts in Russian-occupied territories.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed a resolution in late June recognizing Russia's genocidal intent to destroy Ukraine's cultural heritage and identity. | BGNES
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